


Loved

by myth_taken



Series: Denial 101 [6]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 17:26:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8293978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myth_taken/pseuds/myth_taken
Summary: Fred, Willow, and Tara finally work out their feelings.





	

**Author's Note:**

> at this point i'm just writing stuff that's just straightup badly plotted. i hope y'all like it though

“Kennedy and I have a conspiracy,” Fred said. She was sitting with Willow and Tara in their room; the other two were lying on each other, but Fred was sitting cross-legged next to them, taking notes on an old prophecy.

“Is this the one where Buffy finally admits her crush on Faith?” Willow asked.

Fred looked down, crestfallen. “Did Kennedy tell you first?”

“No, it’s okay,” Tara said. “You can tell us about it, too.”

“Oh, no, I was just going to ask if it was a reasonable conspiracy,” Fred answered. 

“I’ve been saying it for years,” Willow said. “Buffy isn’t all that straight. I mean, she thinks she is, but in the end, she’s just not.”

“Someday that girl is going to have a major freakout over this,” Tara agreed.

“I think Faith is trying to make it go a little faster,” Willow said.

“I hope she succeeds,” Tara said. “Although Goddess save and protect us all when those two start going at it. Earplugs for everybody.”

Willow laughed, and Fred allowed herself a nervous giggle.

“Okay, but what about the other thing she said?” Willow asked.

“Kennedy said two things to y’all?” Fred asked, suddenly even more anxious.

“Kennedy said two things to  _ Willow _ ,” Tara clarified. “ _ I  _ am above such petty gossip.”

“You were called away to check on a spell,” Willow said. “Don’t pretend you’re that much better than us, miss holier-than-thou.”

“Okay, but what did Kennedy tell you?” Fred asked. 

“Mostly just to ask you about your crushes,” Willow said. 

“Plural?” Tara asked. “That’s intense.”

Fred blushed. “Not really. I mean, the real big revelation here is that I like girls, which, huge shock, I guess. I mean, Fred Burkle, good little Texas girl, who knew?”

“Well, we’ve already got Tara Maclay, good little Indiana girl,” Willow said. “Why not Fred Burkle, good little Texas girl?”

“Not even little anymore,” Tara said. “We’re in our twenties now. We can be naughty.”

“I’m not that naughty,” Fred replied.

“I don’t know,” Willow said. “Multiple crushes?”

“Yeah, but they’re not  _ naughty _ crushes,” Fred protested. “I mean, it’s not, you know, overly kinky or anything like that.”

“Any word on who these mysterious crushes are?” Tara asked.

Fred hid her face behind her hair and her notebook. “No!”

“There’s not exactly a plethora of girls to choose from around here,” Willow said. “You’re older than pretty much everyone, right? So, realistically, you’ve got Kennedy, Faith, Buffy, us, and maybe a couple of Potentials.”

Fred dipped her head even further below the notebook and put the other book on her head, somehow hoping to disappear. Why didn’t the demon dimension portals appear when she actually needed one? No, it was only when she was finally happy in her life for once and learning things she cared about and trying to make her way in the world… but never when she needed them.

Willow and Tara both laughed.

“It’s okay,” Tara said. “I mean, you know we don’t mind, right?”

Fred peeked out from between the notebook, ancient prophecy, and hair. “Really?”

“We talked about it a little bit,” Willow said. “And we figure, well, the world is just chock-full of evil, and I don’t think extra kissing is wrong, you know, in the grand scheme of things.”

“Actually, it seems like something that might be the opposite of evil,” Tara said. “I mean, if Willow and I make each other feel good, and there are two people making each of us feel good, that’s just extra good, right?”

Fred set down the notebook. “Do y’all really mean that?”

“We really like you, Fred.” Willow lifted herself up so that she could take the book off Fred’s head. “We want to try it.”

“Especially if the world’s about to end,” Tara said, sitting up as well. “Fewer consequences.”

Fred laughed, recovering herself a little. “Well, if I’m going to die, at least I can do it with girlfriends, right?”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Willow said, and she took Fred’s hand.

Later, finally lying in the bed instead of on the floor, Fred tried to figure out why exactly she liked both of them. It wasn’t just that they were already together, although that was convenient; it was that Willow was smart and had a wonderful imagination and could always figure out the answers to the types of problems that Fred couldn’t even begin to solve, and Tara was kind and good and made sure everyone was doing okay, even when everyone else was too busy, and both of them together balanced out perfectly, and Fred wanted to help balance out, with her science and her own thoughts. 

The next morning, when they all went down to breakfast together, Fred caught a distinct Look between Kennedy and Faith. Sure enough, the instant the meal was over and Willow had gone to talk to Buffy and Tara had gone to play a game with Dawn, Fred found herself under a thorough interrogation from Kennedy and Faith. 

“So, did all your dreams come true?” This one was Kennedy.

“How about your secret fantasies?” That was Faith.

“What did they say?” Kennedy.

“What did they do?” Faith.

“What’s it like?”

“Is it kinky?”

Fred finally waved her hands to stop them. “No, it’s not kinky! I think I’m just an extra girlfriend, and I haven’t known them nearly as long as they’ve known each other, so I barely count.”

“You definitely count,” Faith said. “Those two are lucky to have you.”

“Well, what about your dreams?” Fred asked. “About Buffy?”

“Still on hold,” Faith admitted. 

“I still think Willow can get Buffy to admit she’s had gay thoughts,” Kennedy said.

“I can tell her,” Fred said.

“Ten to one she already knows,” Faith answered. “Whatever. I’ll get there someday, right? Buffy can’t hold out forever.”

“I’m sure glad I didn’t,” Fred said. “Anyway, we’ve got to find Kennedy a girl, too, don’t we?”

“I think you’ve both used up the eligible girls,” Kennedy answered. “The Potentials are mostly really young.”

“I guess after a while you’re not really a Potential anymore,” Fred said. “You’re more of an ex-Potential. If you’re too old to be a Slayer, I mean.”

“Here’s hoping my power sticks around long enough to punch the lights out of this apocalypse, then,” Kennedy said.

“Gotta love determination,” Faith sighed. “Makes me think of my young Slayer days, when I was young and disillusioned with the world.”

That night, as she was falling asleep, Fred made sure to take a moment to thank whatever higher powers there were for giving her such a wonderful group of people who loved her.


End file.
